文艺复兴时期，坚如磐石的威尼斯共和国一度深陷海陆双向危机的漩涡。国力的式微迫使统治阶层关注自身形象的塑造，于是，一场缔造“威尼斯神话”的宏图在1474年拉开了序幕。如何借助视觉艺术，将国家意志渗透到社会各阶层，重塑威尼斯的崇高与辉煌，成为威尼斯各艺术赞助群体面临的挑战，也是本文探讨的核心话题。这场精心筹划的盛景蓝图，依托国家机构、兄弟会团体、教会组织和私人群体的艺术赞助活动，环环相扣地层级呈现。在国家层面，统摄全局的国家政府，通过在总督宫、圣马可广场和里亚尔托地区的投入，建构起一个完备的顶层设计格局，并借助社会等级和宗教网络持续向外延展。在社会层面，兄弟会作为维持社会稳定和同侪关系的纽带，在不断扩张的过程中，以赞助创作来稳定社会秩序、宣扬集体意志。在宗教领域，托钵修会和教区教堂的赞助将神圣信仰与国家崇拜紧密缝合，虔诚信仰的宗教环境，促使国家构想逐渐转化为自发意识。而在私人层面，世袭贵族心系国家兴衰，滋养出独特的审美趣味；移民富商则尝试摆脱阶级限制、树立威望，实现了多元身份的融入。截至1577年，威尼斯藉由艺术赞助的视觉象征和文化表达，成功地缔造出一片前所未有的神话图景：威尼斯不再仅仅是一个政治实体，更是一个凝合了国家精神、群体信仰与个体理想的神圣象征。这一神话不单是威尼斯贵族的神话，更是威尼斯人对威尼斯的“自画像”——它乌托邦式的繁荣稳定、虔诚和睦、包容凝聚和多元开放，成为欧洲乃至世界各国向往的迷思。在实现宏愿的过程中，“威尼斯神话”也潜移默化地孕育了威尼斯艺术的整体风貌，这种风貌既包含对威尼斯历史传奇、盛大庆典和奢靡氛围的呈现，也涵盖了对宫殿建筑、田园风景、世俗或神圣人物的表达，成为文艺复兴时期的威尼斯艺术立足于西方艺术史的根基。但同时，“威尼斯神话”又通过差异化的群体身份衍伸出多样性的创作特征，不同的审美趣味和个体意识造就的多元面貌，决定了威尼斯艺术生命的长久繁荣。从这个意义上而言，“缔造威尼斯神话”虽不是文艺复兴威尼斯艺术一概而全的风貌，却成为威尼斯艺术永葆魅力的秘诀。
During the Renaissance period, the Venetian Republic found itself deeply entangled in a dual war crisis of both land and sea. The waning of comprehensive national strength compelled the ruling class to focus on shaping their own image, thus initiating a grand scheme to create "the myth of Venice" from the top down in 1477. How to utilize visual arts to permeate national will into social strata, reshaping Venice's grandeur and glory, became a serious challenge faced by various artistic patron groups in Venice, and also the core topic of this paper.This grand vision, relying on the patronage activities of state institutions, guild associations, church organizations, and private groups, unfolded in a hierarchical manner. At the national level, the overarching national government, through investments in the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Square, and the Rialto area, helped Venice to construct a top-level design pattern, continuously extending outward through social hierarchies and religious networks. At the social level, “le scuole”, as bonds maintaining social stability and peer relationships, stabilized societal order and propagated collective will through sponsoring creations amidst rapid expansion. In the religious domain, the patronage of mendicant orders and parish churches tightly integrated sacred beliefs with national worship, fostering a devout religious environment that gradually transformed national imaginings into spontaneous consciousness. At the private level, hereditary nobles devoted to the rise and fall of the nation nurtured unique aesthetic tastes; immigrant merchants attempted to break free from class constraints, establishing prestige and achieving integration with diverse identities. By 1577, Venice had successfully crafted an unprecedented mythological image through the visual symbols and cultural expressions funded by its artistic patronage. Venice was no longer just a political entity; it had become a sacred symbol embodying national spirit, communal beliefs, and individual ideals. This myth was not only the myth of the Venetian nobility but also the self-portrait of the Venetians themselves—depicting a utopian vision of prosperity and stability, piety and harmony, inclusivity and cohesion, and diversity and openness, which became an aspiration for Europe and the world.In the process of realizing this grand vision, "the myth of Venice" also subtly nurtured the overall demeanor of Venetian art, encompassing presentations of Venetian historical legends, grand celebrations, and luxurious atmospheres, as well as expressions of palace architecture, pastoral landscapes, secular or sacred figures, becoming the foundation of Venetian art rooted in Western art history during the Renaissance period. However, simultaneously, "the myth of Venice" derived diverse characteristics of creation through differentiated group identities, with various aesthetic tastes and individual consciousnesses shaping a diverse visage, determining the enduring prosperity of Venetian artistic life. In this sense, while "creating the myth of Venice" may not represent the entirety of Venetian art during the Renaissance, it nevertheless serves as the secret to Venice's enduring charm.
